Florida takes manatee off endangered list

CNN ^ | June 8 | Reuters

[darkangel82]

MIAMI, Florida (Reuters) -- Florida's wildlife commission voted Wednesday to remove the manatee from the state's endangered species list, a move environmentalists fear could erode safeguards for the popular sea creature.

State officials said the "downlisting" to threatened from endangered would have no impact on protections afforded the massive, lumbering marine mammal often called the sea cow. Manatees inhabit Florida's canals and coastal waters, where they are frequently killed or injured by boats.

A survey this year found about 3,100 remaining manatees. State officials say manatees no longer qualify for endangered status, which is reserved for creatures that face extinction. Environmentalists, citing predictions the manatee population could decline by 50 percent in the next 45 years, say the criteria need to be changed.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously at a meeting in West Palm Beach to change the manatee's status. But the move will not take place until commission staffers draw up a plan to ensure the creature's continued recovery, which could take a year, an official said. "Whatever protections we woke up with today we go to bed with tonight," commission spokesman Willie Puz said.

The manatee remains on the federal endangered species list and is protected by other federal laws. Slow-moving and herbivorous, manatees can eat up to 15 percent of their body weight daily. On average, adult manatees are about 10 feet long and weigh about 1,000 pounds. They are vulnerable to speeding boats because they often drift lazily at or just below the surface of the water. They are also killed by cold weather and red tide algae blooms.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

[Cinnamon]

shouldn't this be labeled Ted Kennedy alert?

[Nightrider]

yeah...yeah..i fell for that scam that mermaids were actually manatees....almost drowned trying to get me a piece......

[paddles]

"...the massive, lumbering marine mammal often called the sea cow."

I wondered what became of Donna Shalala.

[Thoro]

And the tv show Family Guy is a success. Coincindence? I think not!

[Dinsdale]

So how do you cook one?

[Nightrider]

on closer look, that's me in the cloud....:-)

[bruinbirdman]

Next up Desert Turtle?

No way. That turtle has about 500 million acres of desert set aside for it. Much of that federal land abuts some of the most expensive real estate in the U.S. (think Las Vegas, St. George, Utah).

yitbos

[Jaysun]

So how do you cook one?

Deep fried or on the BBQ - but you better soak the meat in vinegar or lemon juice for a bit first, or it'll taste like ammonia.

[N. Theknow]

So how do you cook one?

They taste a lot like Spotted Owl.

[italianquaker]

glad we dont have kids

[Moonman62]

Manatees are actually very lean. That's why they need warm water, and require a good marinade. Their body shape is due to their large lungs.

[darkangel82]

LOL!
I knew someone would post that.

[steve-b]

[Moonman62]

State officials said the "downlisting" to threatened from endangered would have no impact on protections

I believe it's the same deal with the alligator, even though there are so many of them they are pests, and killing people.

[Doomonyou]

So how much is a non-resident sea cow tag?

[sazerac]

We get Florida manatees when some of them spend part of the year in Lake Pontchartrain (an estuary open to the gulf) in Louisiana. They eat the sea grass. Not many speed boats, mostly sailboats. I saw a big herd? from a small plane and it was cool.

[Cinnamon]

what his name lives!!!

[darkangel82]

Hey, no need for that, I'm hitting abuse.